A Gurnee elementary school teacher was arrested after the sheriff says he disseminated child sexual abuse material and also shared images of students from social media with other sexual predators.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from a social media company that one of their users may have shared child pornography with another user of their platform.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said sheriff’s detectives began an investigation and determined the likely source was coming from a residence in the 300 block of Buckingham Drive in Grayslake.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the residence and conducted the warrant on Thursday with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.
Covelli said detectives recovered the device likely used to share child pornography by the offender, identified as Todd R. Fowler, 47, who lives at the residence.
Detectives learned that Fowler is a teacher at Woodland Elementary School in Gurnee.
Detectives believe that in addition to possessing and disseminating child pornography, Fowler took photos posted to social media by area students and their parents and shared them with pedophiles from across the country, Covelli said.
Covelli said that Woodland School District has been “cooperative and collaborative” during the entirety of this investigation.
“This is a despicable crime — especially when committed by someone entrusted to be a positive influence on our youth. The actions of one individual do not reflect the thousands of hardworking, dedicated teachers and educators in our community,” Sheriff John D. Idleburg said.
“With that, this is a reminder that it is critically important for parents to monitor who their children are communicating with and to regularly remind them about the dangers of social media and the internet,” Idleburg said.
A forensic examination of the seized electronics is underway.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges against Fowler of disseminating child pornography and possession of child pornography.
Additional charges are possible pending the results of the electronic forensic examination.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Kenosha Police Department with their Electronic Detection Canine Iris.
Fowler remains held in the Lake County Jail pending a First Appearance Court hearing on Friday morning.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office intends to file a petition to detain Fowler while he awaits trial.
The sheriff’s office said that parents should speak to their children to see if they have communicated with Fowler or believe they may be a victim of Fowler. Sheriff’s detectives can be reached at 847-377-4000.